Transmission film for glass and method for producing same



TRANSMISSION FILM FOR GL'Ass AND METHODS FOR PRODUCNG SAME 4 Fb. 20, 19.45. F. L. JONES ErAL Filed Nov. 8, 1940 SURFACE FILM BODY OF GLASS ARTI CLE 'FRANK L.-JONES THEODORE J. ZAK

INVENTORS ATTORNE Patented Feb. '20, 1945 TRANSMISSION FILM FOR GLASS ANi METHOD FOR PRODUCING sam:

Frank L. Jones, 'Edgewoo d, Pa., and Theodore J. Zak, Rochester, N. Y.,'asslgnor s to Bausch & Lomb Optical Company, Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application November 8, 1940, Serial No. %4,938

9 Claims.

Our invention relates to the treatment of glass articles including optical elements such as lenses, prism and the like, and more particularly has reference to a process wherein the air Contacting surfaces of such articles are provided with stabilized films or surface layers, generally although film which is of uniform thickness and is evenly distributed overthe-glass surface.

Another object of the invention is toprovide a film created by chemical treatment, which film not necessarily designed to' increase the light transmission of such articles, as well as a process wherein such films may be chemically formed upon a polished glass surface without effect upon its polish. Also, the invention is concerned with the product resulting from the practice of this process. v

A glass element which has become tamished has an increased light transmis'sion due to the tarnished surface decreasing the reflection of the incident light falling upon the element. This tarnish has been found to be a film or layer of transparent material which has a refractive index less than that of the glass. such a film may be created by chemical treatment designed to leach the' acid soluble oxides,' such as lead,

boron, barium, calcium, sodium, potassium and zinc out of the original surface of the glass undergoing treatment. The leaching results in the formation of a surface film or new surface layer of material which is rich in silica.

Under present methods making use ofchemical treatment, uncertain results in the formation of transmission or similarly formed films are likely. These vary widely from the formation of a desired uniform film, which however is not necessarily immune to subsequent chemical attack with attendant undesired film growth by increase in film thickness. to the formation of a film of undesired thickness or one of uneven thickness or one which may be unevenly distributed over the glass surface. Due to these .uncertainties, chemical treatment produces a high percentage of imperfect and relatively useless films. It will thus be appreciated that the creation of films or surface layers by the chemical processes heretofore employed has been extremely limited from a commercial standpoint by reason of the impossibility of such practice to guarantee a uniforn or standard result or film or to guarantee a film.

which once perfectly formed will remain in a stabilized condition and resistant to suhsequent chemical attack which would cause film growth.

It is hence a major object of this invention to provide an improved process. involving chemical ment for formation of a desired surface layer isdmpenetrable to further attack by 1eaching`- solutions and is stabilized against changes in thickness.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a method assuring the formation upon a l vision in a process for chemically creating a film or other surface layer upon a glass surface of a procedure for maintaining or preparing the surface inthat condition best receptive to the action of film forming reactants.

Yet a further object of the invention is to devise a procedure for preventingchemical attack upon a glass surface -prior to chemical treatas well as a procedure for removing any film ac cidentally formed on the glass surface prior to treatment leading to the creation of a desired film;

A-still further object is to provide a practice for stabilizing or xing a film, formed by chemtreatment, for the formation of films or surface 4 ical means, which involves the step of heat treating an already formed film until it 'is in condition to resist subsequent chemical attack leading to undesired film growth by change in thickness. 4

With these and other objects in view which may be incident to our improvements,` the invention consists in the. rocedure, combination of steps therein and the resultant product, to be hereinafter set forth and claimed, with the understanding that the practices and reagents set forth may be widely varied, without departing from the spirit of the invention or exceeding the scope of the appended claims.

The benets to be derived from the use of films or surface layers may be well illustrated by a consideration of their application to increase the' light transmission of lenses. For example, the reflections from a lens when regarded from the viewpoint of light economy are highly undesirable since the light which is reflected is obtained solely at the expense of the transmitted beam.

Qiereby weakening the latter. Refiection loss at a single untrated air-glass surface will amount to approximately 4% of the incident light for crown glasses and approximately 6% for fllnt ments, 'or eight air-glass surfaces; which is a rather common construction. Amore complicated critical system often incorporates as many as twenty or more ar-glass surfaces, each one contributing implacably to the total lom of light for useful image formacion. The advantages of transmission films will be apparent when in comparison with the above it is considered that light transmission following filmin ha consistently reached the figures of 97% for a flint glass lens, 96% for a lens of a light barium crown and 95% for a borosilicate crown.

The prior art practice for the chemical forma tion of a transmission film or other surface layer on a polished or otherwise finished glass article comprises immersing the article in a solvent or' leaching agent which will remove certain of the materials from the glass and leave a surface film or layer which is rich in silica. Heretofore this practice hasbeen limited to removal of the high refractive index oxides, such as lead, barium and boren, from glass. By the procedure hereinafter describedgir addition to the high refractive index oxides we are able to remove other acid soluble oxides found in glass including, sodium. potassium, calcium and zinc.

One of the requirements for a theoretically perfect transmission film is that it have an optical thickness equal to one-fourth the wavelength of the incident light, optical thickness being equal to physical thickness divided by refractive index. In practice, however, this condition is approximated and is fulfilled for only one wavelength in the spectral range used for most visual purposes, it being well known that such procedure very materially increases transmission assuming. of course, that the film is of uniform thickness and is evenly distributed over the glass surface.

network through oxygen linkages. Formation oi surface layers on the glass is 'possible because the less strongly bonded elements can enter ito chemical reactions without damage to the silica network. When a silicate, glass is treated with a water solution of an acid, the 'acid soluble atoms leave the glass to go into solution, while hydrogen ions forming a partially hydrated silica layer.

Different acids may remove different amounts'of the acid solubleoxides. If a glass is treated with duced has little effect on the refractive index or hardness of the silica film; r

As heretofore pointed out, it is uncertain if a transmission film will be formed on a ground and polished or otherwise finished glass surface treated with one of the reagents in the manner noted just ,above and should such` a film be formed, there is a strong possibility of it being imperfect due to it being too thin or of "uneven thickness or because it is unevenly distributed over 'the surface. The present invention relies upon our discovery that the Creation of a, film possessing all of the desired'characteristics is dependent upon the history of the surface being subjected to treatment and provides procedure for assuring that a desired formed.

The discovery just mentioned resides in the fact that the silica film or surface layer on the glass becomes'increasingly-impenetrable to the leaching agents heretofore named. Dehydration of the silica film, which apparently takes place, may be used as an aid to explain this phenomenon. It would seem that a's dehydration proceeds, the film densifies and becomes increasing- The thickness of' the film' may be readily and accurately determined by obse'vation since differtime-temperature-concentration relations dependent upon the particular kind and type of glass unde-going fllming and !or the particular leaching agent employed. Solvents for the oxides other than silica include acid solutions. salt solutions, alkaline phosphate solutions and molten salts. Usually a dilute acid solution is employed for leaching, the article being immersed in whatever leaching agent is employed until it has filme'd to the desired thickness. r

The common glasses are made up of a random network of strongly bonded silicon and oxygen' -atoms with other elements Joined to the basic ly impenetrable as noted and will in fact become substantially completely impenetrable if densification is permitted to proceed far enough Until this latter stage is reached, however, there is always an opportunity for film growth although the rate of film formation decreases with increase in the degree of apparent dehydration.

By this theory, upon dehydration there is suicient densification of the strongly bonded silicon and oxygen atoms to present a new surface which 'is less penetrable to the leaching agents of the class described. Films on glasses containing a large percentage of soluble oxides will acquire this characteristic in a relatively short time even at'room temperature. Under such a condition, film* growth will be slowed inasmuch as a leaching agent will not reach or penetrate so easily to the interface between the surface mm and the glass to attack the soluble oxides of the latter.

It appears that dehydration and densification occur together. -Wehave reason to believe that heat may be expected to promote densiflcation of a film even after any dehydrationhas stopped. Of importance is the fact that we 'have dis'- covered that heat treatment will .force this 'ap-' parent dehydratlon and will sodensify a film that it will become stabilized or resistant to uniforrn film will be asoan leaching agents. This is of particular signiiicance where accidental fllming has occurred, since a fabricated glass article is at times subjected to processing temperatures, in grinding, polishing and edglng Operations for example, which are far in excess of room temperatures. Moreover, forced dehydration by intentional heat treatment may be availed of to positively stabilize a formed film at its desired thickness.

The importance of our discoveries will be well appreciated when it is considered that there are veritable unlimited opportunities for accidental or incipient filming of a glass surface from a time following the fabrication of an article and including its grinding and polishing or other finishing to the time the article is subjected to leach-' ing. We have found that the presence of accidental films is difficult to detect since they are generally too thin to produce visible interference color. This fact coupled with our other discoveries and the likelihood of the occurrence of accidental filming, afford an explanation showing why chemical treatment processes now employed by the art produce many articles of an unsatisfactory nature. i

In connection with accidental filming, several points should be kept in mind. One of these is the fact that glass of substantially all compositions is susceptible to at least some attack by even extremely Weak leaching agents, such for example as weak solutions of the agents heretofore described, and that such attack results in film formation. It is for this reason that acid from flnger prints, received during handling, will film an article and also'why carbon dioxde in moist air, forming carbonic acid, will also create a surface layer. Another point to note is the fact that the thickness of an accldental film which has become partially or completely.dehydrated is immaterial as to its preventive eflect on subsequent film growth or increase in thickness. A

. further point to be kept in mind is the fact that certain glasses are more soluble to leaching agents v than others and that where such is the case filming may begin almost instantly upon contact with the leaching agent.

The chances of accidental film formation and accidental fllning of a lens may occur from allowing the water slurry, which contains the grinding and polishing abrasives, to remain in contact with the first finished surface of the lens blank after completion of its grinding and polishing; from treatment of the partially finished blank with an aqueous washing solution to clean off pitch from the blocked side of the blank prior to grindin'g and polishing such side, alkali solutions containing alkalis which will film glass usually being employed, with tri-sodium phosphate generally being used for this purpose; from cooling water used in the drilling of a depth hole on the unfinished side of the lens blank prior to grindingthe appearance of a patchwork quilt .pattern. A patchwork pattern can be expected where someing and polishing of this side the hole being used as a guide to determine the extent of the second surface to be ground away; from allowing the water slurry to remain in contact with the second finished surface of the lens upon completion of its grinding and polishing; from treatment of a lens with an aqueous washing solution of an alkali cleaher to remove pitch from the lens after grinding and polishing of the second side;' -from water used for cooling purposes and to wash away material cut from thelens edge during centering and edging of the ground and polished lens; and

su of the treatments result in aqueous contact with only certain portions of the surface areas of each side of the lens. Also it will be realized that there could be a combination of the accidental filming justdescribed. Besides the possibility of unthe stabilization of such accidenta'l films may be best understood by a consideration of the processing Operations in which accidental or incipient filming and dehydration can occur; For the purpose of explanation, the processing of an optical element, for example'a lens has been chosen by way of illustration, it being understood that the applications of the invention are not necessarily limited to treatment of-such an article or to use with optical glass.

Accidental filming of a lens may be traced directly to moisture, or the water and aqueous cleaning solutions used in grinding and polishing, the latter sometimes containing other leaching agents besides carbonic acid. It is to be noted that the ordinarygwater employed in grinding and polishing contains enough dissclved carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to be weakly acid so that its prolonged contact with glass will produce fllming. Moreover, experiments have shown that even distilled water will dissolve sufllcient quantities of carbon dioxide to cause filming. indicating that it is not dissolved solid imourities in the water which give rise to this condition but its ac dic character.

Briefly traclng through the grinding and pol-` ishing Operations in the order in which they are employed by the prior art, it may be observed that even distribution of the accidental filming there is a further possibility of all of the accidental films being of different thickness due to the differences in time which the len was in contact with an agent capable of causing filming. These.

accidental films are often of such infinitesimal thickness that they are difficult to detect and frequently are' too thin to show interference colors.

Whileit is important to note at this stage that at least some accidental filming has taken place where the usual grinding and polishing procedure is followed, it should be observed that at least some of these accidentally formed films have to at least some extent become resistant to leaching agents due' to their heating in grinding and polishing Operations. For example, suflicient heat to render any film formed upon the already ground and polished side mpenetrable to at least somedegree is applied to a partially finished lens while reblocking it in pitch for grinding and polishing of the second or unfinished side. it being noted that formation of films on any unfinished surface and their stabilization is not detrimental as such films will be ground away when the une finished surface is ground and polished. Stabilization of accidentally formed surface layers can also' be expected in centering and edging op erations where a completely ground andpolished lens is fixed on the lens holder of an edeingmae chine by wax to which and from which the clens is secured and removed only after it is heated.

- surf aces.

In the presence of such conditions it will be immediately appreclated why it is impossible in ,manyinstances to create a uniform transmission 'film of desired even thickness and distribution on a ground and polished lens surface and why in some instance it is impossible to provide any intentionally created surface layer whatsoever.

Frequently-under manufacturing practice a ground and polished lens is stored prior to attempting to create a transmisslon film upon its The effects of storage upon the lens should be considered, since both accidental -llmlng and dehydration of accidental films for-med prior to storage may be augmented by existing storage conditions. For example, while the percan occur during storage explain why it is frequently impossible to form a transmission film of even thickness and distribution upon the surface of a lens.

Our invention avoids those dimculties leading ing cabinet. At the end of this time the lens may be readily freed from the pitch and removed from the block without pitch adhering to its surfaces, some tapping of the block being necessary at times to break the bond between the pitch and the glass. Removal in this manner is made possible by reason of the difference in contra'ction between the glass and'its resinous blocking coat on the 'unflnished surface of the 'lens and the pitch to which the lens is bonded.

While the lens is being ground and polished it must be held in a fixed position with respect to the block. Thus the bonding characteristics of the blocking coat with the glass and with the pitch are important and it will be appreciated that the physical properties of such material enter into its selection. Similar consideration must also be given in Choosing the waterproof coating applied to the side of the lens first ground and polished since it is this side which Contacts the pitch when the lens is rebloclred 'to grind and polish the unfinished side.

to imperfect filming by prsentingan unfllmed polished surface for. chemical treatment and by stabilizing the perfectly formed ,transmission film against continued growthl' In one form of practicefor the invention, a lens blank, which has been molded to the approximate size, shape and curvature of the finished lens, is coated on one side.: with a suitable synthetic or natural resin, such as a phenol formaldehyde resin or With the uncoated side 'uppermosa the shellac.` blank is 'then blocked in pitch in the usual manner upon a lens block. The exposed surface of the blocked lens is next rough and fine ground and then polished in the ordinary manner, a wa- Following removal from the block, the lens is turned over and is reblocked with the second and unground side uppermost, blocking being carried on' in the usual manner. While this reblocking is acconiplished by heating of the pitch to approximately 275 F. it should be noted that this heat will have no effect upon the polished side of the lens which is in an unfllmed condition due to the special treatment given to it. The second 'surface is then ground and polished in the manner hereinbefore described, care being taken at the completion of the polishing to wipe away all traces of slurry. Treatment like that heretofore disclosed is continued in that a to film the exposed glass surface, there is no likellhood of such occurring inasmuch as the rate of surface removal by grindingand polishing is in excessto the rate of film formation. v However, as' heretofore. pointed out, filmi'ng can be expected if the slurry is allowed to remain on the polished surface for any length of time. To prevent filmlng when grincling and polishing is arrested, the polished surface is immediately 'wlped free of slurry and is dried. With the lens still on the block', a waterproof coating is applied to the polished and just wiped surface in' order to protect it in further handlingfrom molsture or aqueous contact or flngeprlnting. suitable waterproof coatlng materials include lacquers, resinous coatings and waaes or a mixture of a reslnous coatlng and a; wax; For this purpose a styrene `resin has been found very satisfactory. v i

The lens is now read for grlnding and polishing of the second or unflnished side and for this centering and edging Operations.

purpose must be removed from the block. To v 'accom'lish this removal,` the block with the lens waterproof coating is applied to the secondsurface and following chilling of the lap the ground and polishedlens is removed. e

At this stage the lens is usually prepared for the leaching step which leads to the creation of .the desired transmission film by first removing .where the waterproof coating" remains on the *lens it will prevent filming from fingerprntlng, moisture and aqueous solutions which may contact the lens while either instorageor'during the Since the lens is unfilmed and is protected from film formation, its heating when centered and edged will, of course, cause no detrimental effect. Regardless of whether or not the lens has been centered and edged, its waterproof coatings` are removed prior to chemical treatment to create transmission films. Satisfactory removal of the,

waterproof coatings may be eifected in the usual manner with a non-aqueous organic solvent, alcohol or benzol being suitable for this purpose. It should be noted that by the control steps of treatment previously described, a desideratum of this invention is here fulfllled, namely, thepresentation for leaching of a ground and polished lens having surfaces completely receptive to desired uniform filming.

In-leaching, reagents which may be employed include nitric, hydrochloric, sulphuric, acetic,

boric or phosphoric acid solutions or solutions of acid sodium phosphate or of copper, nickel oi' ferric sulphate and molten salts, such as sodium means is provided.

or potassium nitrate or sodium or potassium hydrogen sulphate, may also be employed. Film formation is accomplished by immersing the glass to be treated' in a bath of one of the above reagents until a film of the desired thickness has been formed. The control for this treatment, as is known to the art, is based upon timetemperature-concentration relations depending upon the particular composition of the glass being treated and upon the particular leaching agent used.

Fortunately film formation of the desired thickness maybe readily determined by visual observation. Light reflected by a glass surface provided with a transmission film of a thickness equal to one-quarter /4) the mean Wavelength of light for the usual spectral range to be transmitted will have a magenta color or hue when viewed in white light. Under similar conditions'a film of either lesser ror greater thickness will have a difierent hue. Thus a simplevisual control In practice, for a reason which will hereinafter become more apparent, a film oi an optical thickness greater than onequarter A) wavelength is formed. the leaching operation being allowed to' proceed until formation of a film having a thickness such that light refiected thereirom when viewed in white light appears of a true blue hue, and in which yellow and red are deflcient.

With reference to the control relationshps, it should be noted that the time of treatment for obtaining a transmission film of the desired thickness of one-quarter A) wavelength may vary 'from 1 minute to 100 hours or more depending upon the composition of the treating bath, the glass composition and the temperature of the leaching agent. a large number of leaching agents, we generally prefer the use of nitric acid of a concentration of 1% by Volume. With this we have had very great success in treatlng most of the glasses hereinafter named. Nitric acid is preferred because it may be safely handled, does not produce objectionable fumes, does not change greatly in its reactivity with changes in concentration and because its salts are soluble.

An exception to the preferred use of nitric acid occurs in connection with the soda-limesilica crown glasses which are more satisfactorily v treated with hydrochloric acid of the relatively high concentration of 175% by weight (50% solution of commercial hydrochloric acid in water). We have found that hydrochloric acid will film crowns of the class just mentioned at a considerable faster rate than nitric acid.

As one particular example of the invention which illustrates variation in the time-temperature'relationship, it is pointed out that lenses of light barium crown glass have been successfully treated by immersing them in and subjecting them to the action of 1% nitric acid for minutes at 70 C. Similar results were obtained when similar lenses were treated with a like solution for 1 hour at 50 C. and for 9 hours at 25 C. While these results show considerable variation in treatment periods, it should be kept in mind that time of treatment is subject to the visual control previously mentioned' We have been able to successfully treat substantially all glasses of different compositions in substantially all the different commercial types of optical glass and by our method are able to guarantee substantially invariable uniform filming for such glasses as borosillcate crowns, soda- While we have i-nclicated lime crowns, light barium crowns, 'dense barium crowns,' light barium flints, extra light fiints, barium flints, light flints,' dense fiints, dense barium fiint and extra dense flints. This list marks a very considerable advance over prior art chemical methods which have been able to provide uniform films on only some of tne glasses found in such types of glass as those noted. Moreover, it is to be observed that prior art practice is carried out only with extremely problematical and uncertain results in that the production of uniform films by Chemical reaction onsome glasses wll run as low as 10% of the total number of articles treated and as such is to be distinguished from our methods of treatment which guarantee a substantially standardized result for each piece of glass which is processed. i

'I'he increase in the number of glasses which we have been able to treat satisfactorily as well as the uncertainty of filming when glass is leacheol i under prior art methods may be explained by the fact that while most glasses will be attacked by the reagents noted, some'glasses are considerably more reactive initially than are others, as is eviuenced by their rate oi' suriace iiming Prior ait practices tor grinding and polishing glass, as

previously mentioned, aiford myriad opportunities for accidental fiiming, which opportunities are coupled with many others for dehydration of these accidentally formed films to provide a protective coat which is resistant to Chemical treatment for desired transmission film IOrmatiOn. It Will hence be well appreciated thatif accidental mming is prevented during processing, as it is under our controlled methods, many other glasses besides those already known by the art to be susceptible to successful chemica film formacion, may also be successfully treated, while such treatment may be ei'ected with the assurance of obtaining a uniformly fllmecl surface of a, desired thickness.

It has been previously pointed out that as dehydration of a silica nm proceeds, t becomes increasingiy more impenetrable to leaching agents. Unfortunately the fact remains that prior to complete stabilization of a film on a glass surface by baking or heat treatment for example, there is an ever present opportunity for its growth, with a consequent increase in thickness, it' a leaching agent, such for example as moist air or the acid oi' a nngerprnt, contacts the glass. This is true even where rapid dehydration occurs at room temperature. It may be shown by the science of physics that growth of a film beyond the desired one-quarter 0/4) wavelength in optical thickness is extremely detrimental to the ability of the film to increase light 'transmission by preventng loss of light by reflection. In fact, film growth subsequent to chemical treatment for film formation has been one of the serious commercial dsauvantages to the use of transmission 'films of this type.

We have .found that by baking freshly filmed surfaces immediately after formation of transmission films, we can utilize our discovery regarding film stabilization to eiectively prevent film growth or increase in the film thickness. The freshly filmed lens is heated or baked, in a suitable oven or the like, at a temperature of -around 400 F. for a period of approximately 15 minutes.

Shrinkage of a, film from dehydration under ordinary conditions is negligible for most glasses. We have discovered, however, that forced dehyall types of glass.

. glass being treated, may be employed, treating times decreasing with increase of temperature. There will, however, be no harm done to the lens or the film should it be balred within the temperature range given for a time period longer than that normally required to insure stabilizaticn, The specific example given is of broad application and in general may be employed with After baking, a lmed glass article or lens may be subjected to weathering, handling or even further processing without fear of film growth. Moreover, shrinkage will not occur as the heat treatment has rendered the film constant as to thicknes's.

It is important to note that by the heretofore described process a film stabilized at a' desired thickness is provided upon a around and polished glass surface without damage to the latter. In

`this respect our invention is not 'to be Confused with proce'sses employing an acid or other chemical etch to skeletonize glass articles of a nature which do not require the polis'n of a lens such', for example, as beakers, asks, bottles, tubes, sheets and the like. invention is not limited to the treatment of ground and poli'shed articles, our process has nevertheless been designed primarily for treatment of articles of a character wherein any damage to their surfaces will greatly impair their efilcient use;

We have indicated that several forms of practice for the formation of transmission films other than the processing described may be employed. In one of these, a lens is blocked in any suitable manner and its exposed surface is around and polished as heretofore outlined, care being taken to wipe all traces of the water slurry from the lens upon completion of polishing. The lens is then removed from the block with the aid of a suitable tool and is then treated with non-aqueous organic cleaner, such as alcohol or benzol, to remove any pitch which may have adhered to it, after which it is fllmed in an acid bath and is then baked. This treatment provides a stabilized surface layer on the ground and polished side of the lens. To obtain a transmission film upon the second or unnished side of the lens,

it is reblocked and the steps just noted are repeated. If desired the waterproof coatings heretofore described as applied to the lens surfaces,

, may be'mployed with this practice of film formation so as to permit the lens to be unblocked by chilling it.

The fact that the unground surface of the lens is provided with a baked film in the just described Operations is immaterial since the subsequent grindingand polishing of this side will completely remove such a film. Moreover, heat or leaching agents encountered subsequent' to treatment of the first filmed side will leave that side of the lens unaifected since the desired transmission film formed thereon has been stabilized and when in such condition is resistant to Chemical attack and is not damaged by heat.

While application of our Another form of procedure for practicng our invention comprises subjecting a ground and polished lens, which. has been processed' in accordance with prior art 'teachings and which may or may not have been stored, to chemical attack by a solvent to remove any accidentally formed silica film upon the lens. Following treatment of this nature, uniform transmission films are formed and are then baked in the manner already described.

suitable agents for removing a silica layer are solvents for silica. remove the silica film and leave a glass surface of substantially identical composition with that possessed by the glass prior to its' accidental filming. For removing silica films, we have had eonsiderable success with a mixture of hydrofiuoric and sulphuric acids and with a mixture of the alkali salts of hydrofluoric acid, such as ammonia, potassium and sodium salts, and sulphuric acid. The glass tobe treated is immersed in such a mixture for from 3 to 20 seconds depending upon the composition of the glass undergoing treatment and the concentration 'of the mixture. suitable concentrations for a mixture of this type will range from 0.1% to 1% by vol-'- ume. This treatment may be readily controlled by visual observation so that removal of the polish on a surface by reason of prolonged contact with the mixture may be easily avoided. By way of illustrating our invention we have diagrammatically shown. in the single view of the drawing, a partial sectional elevation of an article processed in accordance with any of the practices which we have described. In the drawing, the body of a glass article is indicated by the reference numeral lil and is shown as having a sta- 'bilized transmission or surface film li formed te a uniform thickness and evenly distributed on the upper and lower faces thereoi. While two films ll have been shown on the body of the article to illustrate the moregenerally met requirement of providing a transmission film on each of a number of different faces, it will nevertheless be appreciated that this does not preclude procedure designed to permit the formation, as hereinbefore pointed out, of a film on only one face of an article.

Although the invention has been explained in connection with optical lenses, it is to be understood that its application is not limited to such articles. Obviously any article fabricated of glass susceptible of film formation by the treatment outlined or slight variations therein made necessaryby theparticular article comes within the scope of theinvention. For example, other articles which could be treated include prisms, optical wedges, spectacle lenses, thermometer tubes, instrument dials, windows, bealrers, fiasks and the like. In instances where the ground and olished article treated has more than two sides, surface areas' or faces, as distinguished from a lens, the proper steps in each of the processing practices heretofore described may be suitably repeated to permit filming on each side or area of the article. Obviously the processes here'tofore set forth may be suitably varied to permit film formation' of fabricated articles which are not i grnund ,and polished.

While we have described a film of an opticai thickness of one-quarter the wavelength of i light, it should be noted that this thickness has been chosen as that which will best satisfy the Their action is intended to` most likely to occur with aaean this maximum thickness may be formed, they are r liable -to crack and break away from the underlying glass when subjected to baking at' stabilization temperatures. Danger of this latter is a small amount of silica.

By the practices which we have set forth, it will be evident that we have accomplished the aims ing on each ground area immediately following the grinding ot such area and by immediately applying^a waterproof coating to a't least all of the ground areas except the last area to be ground following the removal of the slurry from each ground area, dissolving the waterproof coatings' with an Organic solvent, treating the completely ground and uncoatel article for the formation of 'a surface film on each ground area by subjecting the article' to the action of a leaching agent which will remove acid soluble oxides'other than silicon -oxides fromsaid areas to leave a'surface film glasses containing only and purposes of our invention. Not only have we provided a procedure for assuring uniform filming to desired thickness for many types of glass without detriment to the surface polish butat the same time have provided a method to stabilize these films %against growth or thickness changes subsequeit to their desired formation.

While we have described the preferred embodiment of our invention, we wish it to be understood that we do not conne ourselves to the'precise procedure and the specific reagents herein set forth, by way of illustration, as it is apparent that many changes and variation may be made therein, by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spiritof the invention' or exceeding the scope of the claims hereto appended.

We claim: e

l. In the method of treating a glass article which has a structure formed of a network of strongly bonded silicon and oxygen atoms to which acid soluble glass forming elements other than silicon are joined by oxygen inkages and which has a number of areas which are successively ground while contacted by a water slurry containing abrasive material, the steps of protecting said area from the formation of undesired surface films thereon during successive grinding Operations on the article by removing substantially all of said slurry remaining on each ground area immediately following the rinding of such area and by immediately applying a waterproof coating to at least all of the last area to be ground following the removal of the slurry from each ground area, dissolving the waterproof coatings with ,an organic solvent,

treating the completely ground and uncoated article for the formation of a surface filmon each ground area by subjecting the article to the action of a leaching agent which will remove any acid soluble oxide other than a silicon oxide of the glass from said areas to leave a, surface film thereon which is rich in silica, and rendering said films substantially lmpenetrable to said leaching agent by heating the article to a relatively high temperature but below the softening point of the glass for a time sufficient to densify said surface whereby the films are stabilized against change of thickness.

2. A method of treating a glass article of the character which has a silicon oxide and at least one acid soluble oxide of a glass forming element otherthan silicon in its composition and which has a number of areas which are successively ground while contacted by a water slurry containing abrasive material, said method comprising the steps of protecting said areas from the forthe ground areas except thereon which is rich in silica and of a thickness slightl'y greater than that desired upon the finished arti-ele, and rendering aid surface films substantially impenetrable to'said leaching agent by heating the article to a relatively high temperature but below the softening point of the glass for a time suflicient to. densify said surface films, whereby the films are shrunk to the desiredthickness and are` substantially stabilized against change of thickness.

3. In the processing of a glass article which has a composition comprising a silicon oxide and at least one acid soluble oxide of a glass forming element' other than silicon 'and which has a number of areas which are successively ground to provide a surface on each area of a desired contour, the treatment of each area immediately following the grinding operation thereon and before the grinding of any other area on the article which comprises removing moisture remaining on such ground area at the 'completion of the grinding operation therefor, then forming a surface film on the ground area by subjecting the article to the action of a leaching agent which will remove any acid soluble oxide other than'a silicon oxide from said article toleave a surface film which is rich in silica on said area and which is of a thickness slightly greater than that desired on the finished article, and then rendering V the surface film o said' area substantially impenetrable to said leaching agent by heating the article to a relatively high temperature but below the softening point of the glass for a time sufllcient to substantially completely dehydrate said surface film whereby the film is shrunk to the desired thickness and is substantially stabilized against change of thickness.

mation of undesired surface films thereon during successive grinding Operations on the article by removing substantially all of said slurry remain- 4. A glass body characterized by having a structure comprised of a basic network of strongly bonded silicon and oxygen atoms to which acid soluble metallic elements other than silicon are Joined `by oxygen linkages and' a surface film which is substantially evenly distributed over at.

least one face of said body and which difiers in structure from. the bodyby being substantially free of any of said mtallic elements otner tnan silicon, said film being of a-substantially uniform thickness not exceeding several wavelengths of some component of the Visual spectrum and being densified to render it substantially stable and permanent' in thickness.

As a new article of manufacture, a glass article having a body comprised of a silicon oxide and at least one acid soluble oxide of a metallic glass forming element other than silicon and a transmission film of substantially uniform thickness which is evenly distributed on a surface of said body, said transmission film being comprised substantially of silica and being heat treated whereby to subst tially stabilize it against rowth.

6. As a new article of manufacture. a transparent glass body formed of glass having a. single homogeneous vitreous phase and a surface film on said body, said film consisting substantially of silica and 'having a thickness not exceeding several wavelengths of some component of the visible spectrum, said film being densified and stabilized against growth.

7. In amethod of providing a surface film on "a glass body which consists of a single, homogeneous vitreous phase ormed of a network, of strongly bonded silicon atoms to which weakly bonded elements other than silicon are joined by point of the glass body until said surface film is densified and rendered stable against growth.

8. The method of forming a surface film of desired thickness on a glass body having a single, homogeneous 'vitreous phase formed of a network of strongly bonded silicon atoms to which weakly bonded elements other than silicon are joined by oxygen linkages which comprises leaching out from the body of glass having a single, homogeneous phase primarily the weakly bonded 'greater than that desired on elements bya leaching agent which will remove the weakly bonded elements inthe form of solible compounds and leave on said body a surface film rich in silica and having a thickness slightly the finished article and rendering said film impenetrable to said leaching agent by heating the glass body to a- -elatively high temperature but belw'th'e softening point of the body for a time suflicient to cause a shrinkage of said film to the desired'thickness whereby the film is stabilized against growth 9. A method of treating a glass article formed of transparent'glasshaving a single. homogeneous vitreous phase formed of strongly bonded silicon atomsto which elements other than siii.. con are wekly joined by oxygen linkages which comprises grinding and polishing an area on said article, removing moisture from the area and immediately thereafter protecting said area by applying a waterproof--coating, removing-said coatingand immediately thereafter subjecting said area to the action of a leaching agent to remove prlmarily the weakly bonded elements and leave a silica rich surface flm and I stabilizing said 'film against, growth by heating the' article to a relatively high tempereature but below the softening point of the article .whereby the film is densified.

- FRANK L. JONES.

THEODORE J. ZAK.

subsequently 

